What is the maximum a public adjuster can charge in Florida?

20% of the claim payment for most claims, and 10% for claims arising from a Governor-declared state of emergency during the first year after the declaration (§626.854). A contract above the cap is unenforceable on that term.

Is the fee charged on the whole settlement or only the increase?

It depends on the contract. Many Florida PAs charge on the entire recovery; some charge only on amounts above what the insurer had already paid or offered. Ask before signing — the calculator assumes the whole settlement.

When is a public adjuster not worth it?

When the dispute is small, the offer is close to a fair full-scope number, or the issue is a coverage denial rather than an amount. Get an independent itemized estimate first so the decision is made with the real number in hand.

Free tool · Florida

Public Adjuster Fee Calculator

What a Florida public adjuster costs under the statutory caps, what you keep, and the settlement they'd need to reach to pay for themselves.

Insurer's current offer$What the carrier has paid or offered so far. Enter 0 for a denied claim.Expected settlement with a public adjuster$Use an independent full-scope estimate for this number.Claim arises from a Governor-declared state of emergencyWithin 1 year of the declaration the fee is capped at 10% (§626.854). Otherwise 20%.Negotiated fee (optional)%Leave blank to use the statutory cap of 10%. Anything above the cap is unenforceable in Florida.

Public adjuster fee (10%)

$4,800

You keep after the fee

$43,200

$31,200 more than accepting the insurer's offer.

Break-even settlement

$13,333

The settlement a PA would need to reach for you to come out even.

Why the cap matters to the estimate

At 10%, a public adjuster earns $4,000 on a $40,000 recovery. That margin does not leave room for hours of line-item writing, which is why most Florida PAs now outsource estimating and spend their time on negotiation. If you are a PA, our Florida estimating and claims-management service exists for exactly this. If you are a homeowner, the piece to read first is public adjuster vs. insurance adjuster.

Questions

What is the maximum a public adjuster can charge in Florida?: 20% of the claim payment for most claims, and 10% for claims arising from a Governor-declared state of emergency during the first year after the declaration (§626.854). A contract above the cap is unenforceable on that term.
Is the fee charged on the whole settlement or only the increase?: It depends on the contract. Many Florida PAs charge on the entire recovery; some charge only on amounts above what the insurer had already paid or offered. Ask before signing — the calculator assumes the whole settlement.
When is a public adjuster not worth it?: When the dispute is small, the offer is close to a fair full-scope number, or the issue is a coverage denial rather than an amount. Get an independent itemized estimate first so the decision is made with the real number in hand.

Get the real number before you decide

An independent Xactimate® estimate tells you what the claim is actually worth — free, within 12 hours — so you can compare it to the offer and to the fee.

All tools on this page are informational and not legal or insurance advice. More free tools